Jack Who?
by lexophile42
Summary: Jack Harkness spends his years trapped in the twentieth/twenty-first century as a guardian angel to the young Rose Tyler and has a few misadventures of his own. Not a Jack/Rose fic; continual character 'death'... it is Jack Harkness, after all.
1. A tearful begining

Title: Jack Who?

Genre: Hurt/Comfort/SF

Category: Dr. Who

Summary: Jack spends his years trapped in the twentieth/twenty-first century as a guardian angel to the young Rose Tyler and has a few misadventures of his own along the way.

--

"Rose Tyler, you were such a cute kid," Jack whispered as the shutter snapped again, capturing an image of a young blonde sliding down a bright red plastic chute. Her short, sandy-blonde hair glistened in the dull London sunlight as she jumped up from the slide and ran to the woman Jack knew to be her mother, Jackie Tyler. He snapped another picture.

Jack had been following the girl since the day her father died. He'd watched her father die. He'd watched as the nineteen year-old Rose Tyler ran out to her father's aid; watched as the Doctor stood by and wiped tears from his crystal-blue eyes. Jack Harkness watched Rose grow from a troubled toddler into an inquisitive young girl. He'd watched her cry and laugh; celebrate and mourn. She'd walked through her life oblivious to his existence. He knew he couldn't intervene in any way, shape, or form-- though he did his best to keep her safe. When she'd been nearly kidnapped at the age of four, Jack had been there and rescued her then fled the scene before either Rose or Jackie could get a lasting look at him. Neither of them would remember his face.

Guilt welled up in his heavy heart as he watched Jackie and Rose leave the park, a broad smile on the faces of both Tyler's. His eyes filled with tears as he thought of all that Rose had already been through; all she had yet to encounter. He raised the camera once more and pressed the button. The shutter clicked, freezing the moment on 35 millimetre film. He slowly stood up and wiped the tears from his cheeks. He had to get back to his research and the Doctor Detector. He ran a hand through his tousled dark hair and heaved a sigh as he turned from the park and walked toward his latest automobile.

The cooper was black and blue, like the bruises on his broken heart. He'd gone through so much. Life, death- the whole shebang- and what had he to show for it? Seven years worth of photography of one girl.

_Rose._

It was all for her. He wanted to keep her safe and secure- a life he'd never been allowed. The Time Agency had taken him in, given him a vortex manipulator and promotion after promotion- all for what? He'd lost several years' worth of memories at the touch of a button and found himself homeless and hopeless scouring the universe for a way to get it all back. Until he'd met the Doctor. Now, his sole purpose was to keep Rose away from all that for as long as possible. He would make sure she reached the Doctor intact and in good health. He was her guardian angel. He loved her to the ends of the universe and was willing to go twice that far to protect her.

Jack pulled out of the parking lot and sped toward home. _Home... what is home anymore? I don't really have a home... I've got a life... I've got a place to stay... but I don't have a home. I was at home on the TARDIS with Rose and the Doctor... new adventure every ten minutes, no more than five minutes of down time in between, and an everlasting supply of 'home'. Why did he have to leave? I had to stay and fix everything, sure... but after all that, he could've come back... he should've come back. I loved him... I loved them both... and they both left me for dead. Pity that'll never happen... I wonder..._

Jack veered into the oncoming traffic, striking a large 18-wheeler truck. His car glanced off, fish-tailed, flipped, and came to a dead-halt several metres away from the big-rig, which seemed mostly unscathed. The trucker screeched to a stop, arcing across the motorway, blocking the rest of the approaching autos.

Twisted metal caged him in; the smell of burnt rubber overwhelmed him. He crawled from the wrackage and collapsed on the hard pavement, which was worn hot from constant passage. Air became difficult to inhale and the lights around him faded to black. The sounds of cars passing and the words of those around him blurred together into a motley, gray-sounding tone. There was a pin-prick of stark white in front of him, growing broader with every heartbeat he felt wrack his chest with pain. This was a familiar sight. Jack knew what had just happened, but this time seemed different. _I'm sooooooo dead..._

--

A/N: Ooooooooh, hate me now, don't ya? I just left you with a cliff hanger and I'm not updating for a week! Muahahahahahaha! I feel the power! R&R as usual. --Lexx


	2. Medical emergency

The motely, gray-sounding drone became separate voices and distinct sounds as Jack felt everything rematerialize around him. There was a jolt in his chest, then another.

"Clear!" called the female medic kneeling beside him.

Another jolt shook him, forcing him to gasp for the air that had only just returned to his lungs.

"He's back," she said with a sigh and wiped the sweat from her brow, "Thank god."

"What're you thanking me for?" Jack asked congenially as he sat up and put out a hand to shake, "Captain Jack Harkness. You are?"

"Not interested," the EMT replied with a laugh while shaking his hand, "Other than that, my name's Jane Hart. Pleasure to meet you, Jack."

"Pleasure's all mine," Jack grinned at Jane and stood up unsteadily. He leaned on her momentarily then took a step back from the wreckage. "Miss _Hart_, you say?"

"Yeah," Jane nodded, "That's m' name."

"Related to _John _Hart, by chance?" he cocked an eyebrow.

"No," she shook her head, "Now, if you're done with what I'm going to guess is you trying to chat me up, I'd like to get you into the ambulance and over to the hospital so that we can run some tests and make sure that you're really all right."

"Why?" Jack's eyes darkened, "I'm fine. I'm up and walking and talking and being fine."

"I understand, sir, but we still need to make sure you've sustained no long-term injuries," Miss Hart reached for his arm to lead him to the waiting ambulance, "You know, breaks, lacerations, contusions, concussion, etcetera."

"Look, really, I'm fine," Jack assured her and stepped away, "Don't worry about me. I'm just fine."

"Mr. Harkness--"

"Please, call me Jack," he said with another smile whilst taking a few more steps back, "_Captain _Jack, even. Just not 'Mister Harkness'. _Mister Harkness_ was my _father_."

"Well, _Jack_, please come with me," Jane insisted, reaching out again for his sleeve, this time catching it in an iron-grip and dragging him toward the vehicle, "We'll have you in and out and on your way in no time. I promise."

"Under a few conditions: no blood tests, no urine tests, CAT scans, or MRIs," he said forcefully as he followed her to the ambulance and climbed in hesitantly, "Although, I have no objections to cavity searches."

"We'll do our best," Jane smiled warmly and climbed into the ambulance with Jack and another uniformed medic.

--

A/N: Yay! Updates! Bet you can't wait until the next chapter... or maybe you can... I really can't tell... not that many reviews... you guys really want more? R&R, if you will. --Lexx


	3. Summerlong Hiatus

Official Three Month Hiatus posted on ALL stories written by lexophile42 (aka Lexx)

Dear faithful reader,

I'm sorry to inform you of the fact that all of my stories will be placed on hiatus until the end of Summer Vacation. By the time I return to the fandom, I will be bursting at the seams with updates for all my stories plus a few new fics to post, no doubt. So until then, sit tight, read what I've got, and review to your heart's content. If you have anything you'd like to say to me directly, please email me and I will do my best to get back to you. Thank you all for being so understanding in this difficult time. You guys really are the best.

Thank you again, and may the Force be with you.

Sincerely yours,

Lexx


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter Three Chapter Three

Jack stalked down the street rubbing his forearm vengefully. _'We don't need to draw blood,' they say, 'We're not going to do a full blood work-up,' she promises, 'We've no need to x-ray every inch of you'… last time I go into a hospital after this sort of thing. Next time I'll flat out say 'No way'… doesn't matter how cute the medic is, my answer will be 'No way, no how'…_ He kicked the concrete beneath his feet as he made his way to the flat he was renting at the Powell Estate, just four doors down from the Tyler residence.

Guilt welled up again, weighing down every step he took up the stairs to his floor. He couldn't bear his own existence, much less the existence of the rest of the world-- the whole universe, really. It all reminded him of traveling with the Doctor and Rose. The heaviest bit of memorabilia he had was the piece of the Doctor that he took with him everywhere. _I've got his hand…_ Jack allowed himself a slight smile at the thought.

He approached his flat and dug into his pocket for the key. Out came the bit of shiny metal, which was then thrust into the keyhole, jiggled about and turned, unlocking the front door to the one-bedroom apartment in which he led his empty existence. The door swung open lazily, allowing out the thick scent of Irish Spring, coconut styling gel, and RSVP cologne. He took a deep breath and stepped in, slamming the door behind him.

The dark enveloped him, giving Jack a sense of nonexistence, which was a feeling he pined for constantly. His kitchenette beckoned him forward, telling him to make himself a cup of tea and grab a few biscuits before he slumped into his bedroom for some much-needed sleep, even though his clock was only just chiming six o'clock

He flipped on a solitary light and put a pot of water on to boil while he retrieved a tin of biscuits from the cabinet above the counter. There was a flashing red light somewhere in the black of the sitting room that called his attention away from the cookie which was half-way to his mouth. Jack identified the light source as his telephone, which was registering four missed calls. He put the confection down on the counter and stumbled over his equipment into the sitting room where he switched on a reading lamp that stood watch over his single chair which was in front of a 32 inch HiDef telly from the year 2008.

"Four missed calls, eh?" he sighed and ran a hand through his hair then reached down to listen to the voicemail record.

"'Allo, Jack. It's Andrew. I was just calling to see if you wanted to watch the match this weekend here at my flat. Gimme a call back later if you're interested."

Jack rolled his eyes and made a mental note to call Andrew back. He deleted the message and moved onto the next.

"Jackie-boy! Patrick here. Listen, mate, you wanta come over to my flat for the match this weekend? Call me."

"Apparently I'm popular," Jack smiled as he deleted Patrick's message as well.

"Oi, captain, my captain! Your presence is requested this weekend for the match. Two words: My. Flat. Ring me back."

"Darren," he chuckled. He could always tell the computer-programmer's messages apart from the rest. He pressed the button to hear the final message.

"Miste-erm… Jack, this is Jane Hart. I resuscitated you earlier this afternoon and I was wondering if you'd like to join me for dinner tonight. I've got a few things to ask you of the utmost importance. If you'd be so kind as to call me back-- I believe you managed to get my phone number during the ambulance ride. Thank you for your time; I hope to hear back from you real soon."


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter Four Chapter Four

"Miste-erm… Jack, this is Jane Hart. I resuscitated you earlier this afternoon and I was wondering if you'd like to join me for dinner tonight. I've got a few things to ask you of the utmost importance. If you'd be so kind as to call me back-- I believe you managed to get my phone number during the ambulance ride. Thank you for your time; I hope to hear back from you real soon… Miste-erm… Jack, this is Jane Hart. I resuscitated you earlier this afternoon and I was wondering if you'd like to join me for dinner tonight. I've got a few things to ask you of the utmost importance. If you'd be so kind as to call me back-- I believe you managed to get my phone number during the ambulance ride. Thank you for your time; I hope to hear back from you real soon… Miste-erm… Jack, this is Jane Hart. I resuscitated you earlier this afternoon and I was wondering if you'd like to join me for dinner tonight. I've got a few things to ask you of the utmost importance. If you'd be so kind as to call me back-- I believe you managed to get my phone number during the ambulance ride. Thank you for your time; I hope to hear back from you real soon."

"Jane Hart!?" Jack gasped after listening to it for the fourth time. "I _knew_ she couldn't deny me!"

The teapot began whistling loud enough to wake the dead, alerting Jack that the rest of the world was in fact still turning and consisted of more than him and the 'not interested' Jane Hart. He hurried over to the stove and took the stainless-steel vessel off the burner with one hand while getting down a smaller pot and a tin of tea with his other. _Water in pot, tea in pot, lid on pot, cozy on lid…_

He leaned against the counter and took a deep breath, trying to sort out all the thoughts in his head. _I've got to call her back… I can't go to dinner tonight… well… I could… I just need sleep first…_ Jack willed himself to step away from the counter and back over to the phone and call Jane to find out when and where she wanted to have dinner.

The phone rang.

The phone rang again.

"Jane Hart," she stated in a curt voice.

"Captain Jack Harkness," he replied formally, "I believe _you_ were interested after all, Miss Hart."

"Excuse me?"

"You invited me to dinner, if I recall correctly," Jack told her, referring to the message he'd just listened to several times.

"Did I?" there was a pause, "Erm, maybe we could just go round the pub and have a few drinks."

"We could do that," Jack shrugged, his voice portraying the nonchalance perfectly, "Or we could go out this weekend. I know this lovely restaurant in Cardiff…"

"_Or_ we could just cut this off before it goes too far."

"Can't cut it off," Jack objected gently, "It'll grow right back."

"Good-bye, Mister Harkness," Jane said then hung up the phone.

"But--" Jack heard the dial-tone and glared at the phone then slammed it down on the charger. _Back to my old haunts, I suppose…_

He left the sitting room and slouched into his bedroom, pulling off his shirt in the process. He yawned and fell onto the large bed, sinking into the comfortable mattress. He rolled over onto his side and nestled his face into the pillow he was hugging to his chest. _Good night, Rose… Good night, Doctor…_


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter Five Chapter Five

"_I bring life…"_

Jack gasped and sat bolt upright, an empty void hanging in his chest where he normally would feel his heart. He glanced around the room in which he was laying. The bed was not his… not that he could remember. He wasn't on the TARDIS… he was… he was… he was in a flat. It reminded him of Rose's flat. _Rose._ Reality had dealt him a surrealistic hand of cards. Time travel with the ones he loved one minute, trapped alone in the twentieth century the next. He was in _his_ flat.

He was stuck in _his_ flat. He had no real life in _his_ flat. He had memories shrouding everything around _his_ flat. He had the Doctor's hand in a jar. He had his key to the TARDIS. He had a photograph of himself, the Doctor, and Rose. He had Rose's hair brush. He had a set of sheets from his room on the TARDIS. He had… he had to answer the phone.

He willed himself to rise from the bed and slowly walked over to the ringing telephone.

"Who the hell is it?" he asked brusquely, stifling a yawn.

"Sorry if I'm interrupting something, _Captain_," Jane said gently, slightly taken aback by the harsh answer to her call.

"Oh, it's _you_," Jack, mildly interested, sat back on the chair beside the phone and flipped on the television, "How are you, Miss Hart?"

"Fine," she replied, "You?"

"Better now that I'm up and at 'em," he yawned loudly and reclined the chair a bit, "Might I ask why you've graced this phone line at this early hour? Reconsidering cutting it off?"

"Possibly," she said coyly, "Perhaps I was just calling to tell you that you have a genetic disorder that we discovered from your blood sample that we collected yesterday."

"If that were the reason, then you would've flat out told me as opposed to all this polite chat," Jack grinned to himself, "But you see, you're not calling to tell me about a genetic disorder that you discovered from my blood sample that you collected yesterday. You're calling because you've reconsidered."

"Reconsidered what, exactly?"

"Going out to dinner with me," Jack said matter-of-factly.

"Oh, _that_. Perhaps."

"Perhaps you'll just have to join me for breakfast," he offered, "Interested?"

"Hmm. Perhaps."

"It's a 'yes' or 'no' question, Jane."

"Well, it's a 'yes' no matter what I say, right?"

"What?" he furrowed his eyebrows and thought about her statement.

"'No' means 'yes' and 'get lost' means 'take me, I'm yours'," she replied, "If I remember correctly."

"Oh, right," Jack chuckled at the reference to _Hercules_. "So, you'll meet me?"

"Yes," Jane said with a giggle, "I'll meet you."

"How about I just pick you up?" Jack proffered, forgetting his crash the day before.

"Do you have a car?"

"Of course I have a-- oh… no, I don't," he remembered the accident vividly and felt his cheeks flush slightly.

Jane laughed, "Shall I come round and pick you up, then?"

"Sure," Jack replied, "But I'm driving when you get here."

"Deal."

"You know where I live?" he asked.

"Of course I do. It's on the paperwork you filled out yesterday."

"Right. Of course," Jack mentally slapped himself, "So I'll see you soon?"

"See you soon, Jack. Bye."

"Bye," he hung up the phone slowly and then stood up and returned to his bedroom to get ready for the date of his very long life.

--


	7. Yet another Hiatus

Continuing hiatus posted by on this particular story...

My deepest apologies for the continuing hiatus on this story . My writing laptop is officially a paper weight and has devoured twenty chapters of unposted fanfiction along with a lot of other work. I'll be working my butt off to recover some of the lost work from the recesses of my vast mind, but it may take a very long time... nix that... it **will** take a very long time.

Sorry about constantly doing this; however, I should have some new stories on the way whilst I try to sort out all the rest of my continuing stories. If there's anyone interested in adopting on of the unfinished fanfics, please PM me and we can work out the details.

Fics up for adoption:

Viva Rock Vegas

Tulips

Heart of Gold

I'm also looking for a co-writer for 'Doctor for the Doctor' and the Dr. Who Bloopers. Again, PM me if you're interested.

Thanks for your continuing patience.

Sincerely,

Lexx

PS: Remember: ALWAYS take a banana to a party.


	8. 2010

**Updates for the new year...**

The following stories are up for adoption:

A Doctor for the Doctor (this is one that I would like to be kept in the loop about by whoever adopts it)

Heart of Gold (this is one that I could just as easily write off as a dead-in-the-water story and just leave it)

A Matter of Life and Death (actually, I just need a cowriter or two to keep this one going)

Doctor Who Bloopers (again, I just need a cowriter or two or three to keep this one going)

* * *

Stories that are no longer available for adoption:

Viva Rock Vegas (adopted by "ottawawolf" -- /u/2047635/ottawawolf)

* * *

Impending updates:

Jack Who- I have revived my dead writing laptop and have recovered the final chapters of this story, which means it will soon be COMPLETE!!

Ethereal Nonsense- I'm finally getting around to finishing this one and will also be working on panels for the actual comic.

Bananas for Her- pretty much the same as Jack Who, except it's still got quite a bit of work to be done before it is COMPLETE.

* * *

Hang in there, folks. I haven't forgotten about ya!!


End file.
